Activities at Washington Grange Care Home

This month at Washington Grange, we came together to celebrate St Patrick's Day in the best way possible! Our home was filled with the sound of music, bringing smiles, memories, and a wonderful sense of togetherness. Residents and staff enjoyed a lovely dance, sharing laughter and special moments that truly lifted everyone’s spirits. 

Of course, no St Patrick's Day celebration would be complete without a glass of Guinness, which many of our residents thoroughly enjoyed as part of the festivities. Days like this are so important, they encourage social connection, promote wellbeing, and create meaningful experiences for everyone in our care. It's not just about celebrating a tradition, but about making memories and ensuring our wonderful residents feel joy, inclusion, and a sense of belonging!  

Staff and residents had a fantastic time celebrating British Pie Week, a brilliant excuse to sample lots of delicious fare.

Over the course of the week, overseen by head chef Michelle, staff and residents experimented with many different types of pie fillings and flavour combinations, from more traditional meat and vegetable fillings, to vegetarian and vegan offerings, hot and spicy fillings, and sweet pies and pastries - this week has certainly been a veritable pie-filled feast!

General Manager, Ben said: “It wasn’t just the residents that were excited when we found out there was a British Pie Week, the eyes of the staff lit up too!  Everyone loves pie and our Resident Ambassador was ecstatic when she found out, she went around the home asking others what there favourite pie was.

Here at Washington Grange we celebrated world Alzheimer’s Day with a dementia disco. One of our residents, Leslie, from memory lane, was the life and soul of the party. He never stopped. He was such great fun by dancing with staff and making us laugh with his personality and his funny impressions. 

This brought Leslie so much joy and happiness he was for ever grateful and kept saying thank you for such a special day. Some very special memories were made. 

On the 13th of August, one of our lovely ladies, Esther, celebrated her 102nd birthday surrounded by her family, friends and loved ones. We were joined by the lovely Alex hall to kick-start the celebrations. 

Esther was serenaded by Alex to make her day extra special. Esther was so happy, laughing and smiling throughout. 

Residents enjoy a trip to local tourist hotspot – Roker Beach where they enjoyed a lovely stroll along the promenade and beach before stopping for a delicious fish and chip lunch.

During the trip, Leslie said “the place held many memories for him as it is the spot where he first met and fell in love with his wife”.  It was a lovely day sharing memories of family team spent on the beach and other destinations across the UK on holidays.
 

This March our wonderful residents have a lovely trip out to our local garden centre! Getting out into the fresh air and spending time in nature can have such a positive impact on wellbeing, and this trip was filled with smiles, conversation and beautiful scenery. Residents enjoyed strolling around the colourful displays of flowers and plants, sharing memories of gardening and admiring the seasonal arrangements! 

After exploring the garden centre, everyone relaxed in the café where we enjoyed a delicious cup of tea and a freshly baked scone. It was a perfect opportunity to sit back, chat, and make more special memories. Outings like this are so important as they support social interaction, stimulate the senses, and help maintain a strong connection with the community. Seeing the residents laughing, chatting and enjoying the moment truly made the day special for both residents and staff.        

On the 9th November, two of our lovely residents attended the remembrance the Sunday parade at Washington village. 

They really enjoyed the service and paid their respects. They got to speak to some of the fellow veterans after the service. The residents were very grateful to get this opportunity to attend this event.  

Here at Washington Grange, one of our lovely ladies' wishes was to visit South Shields beach.  We changed our mini-bus excursion, and we made this happen.  Surrounded by Christine's friends, we had a lovely stroll along the beach, followed by a delicious meal at the Sundial. Christine couldn’t wait to tell everyone about her trip out she spoke about it to everyone. 

Christine was entirely grateful for this opportunity. She got a little bit emotional  for us making it happen and thanked us many times.   

We enjoyed our visit to Discovery Zoo, and we held a range of different types of animals. A lot of the residents weren’t too sure about the spider and snake, but we had some daring ladies who were happy to hold them. 

Next visit Paul is going to bring some more stick insects in for the residents to learn more facts and information. The residents her eat Washington Grange, love the visits from the animals they always smiling.

Residents and colleagues celebrated ‘Alice in Wonderland’ day with a special themed Mad Hatters Tea party.  Colleagues embraced the occasion and dressed in theme with resident, Margaret wishing to join in the fun to wear a costume too!

It was a fun-filled day as we explored this iconic story written by Lewis Carroll and published in 1865, we shared memories of reading the book as children and to our own children. 
 

At Washington Grange we had a wonderful time celebrating Mother's Day with our lovely residents, their families and our wonderful team. The morning began with a warm and welcoming coffee morning, where everyone enjoyed delicious treats, plenty of tea and coffee, and most importantly, meaningful conversations and shared memories. It was so special to see families spending quality time together and celebrating the amazing mothers and mother figures in the community. 

In the afternoon, the celebrations continued with fantastic live music entertainment from Sam Naylor. Sam brought such great energy to the home, filling the room with music, singing, and lots of smiling faces. Many of our residents joined in with the songs, clapped along, and even had a little dance! Mother's Day is a time to honour love, care, and the incredible role mothers play in our lives. At Washington Grange, we are proud to celebrate these special moments with our residents and create memories filled with joy, laughter, and togetherness! Thank you to everyone who helped make this day so special. 

Residents from our Memory Lane community took to the road to enjoy a visit to Brockbushes Farm Shop, where they enjoyed pumpkin picking.  

This was a new experience for all, having not done so previously, and everyone had a great time.  It was a lovely morning with fresh air and the weather was kind to us too!

A Carer at Washington Grange has received a prestigious 25-Year Service Award in celebration of working at Barchester Healthcare for 25 years. Julie Hannon started at Barchester in August 2000 and has worked with residents and their relatives to ensure that their needs have been met over the years.

Nikki Mould, Operations Manager of Washington Grange said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating 25 years of loyal service with Julie. She has demonstrated her dedication and loyalty to this home and its residents year after year. I speak for all of us here at Washington Grange when I say that I’m looking forward to many more years of working with Julie!”
 

Here at Washington Grange, Lily, one of our ladies, was asked to go on a trip to the galleries to buy some new clothes for her upcoming birthday. 

We enjoyed the day's shopping and even finished the day with a trip to McDonalds as it has been years since she has had one. Lily was very grateful and thanked me for taking her out.

Our Deputy Manager, Lynsey has received a prestigious 20-Year Service Award in celebration of working at Barchester Healthcare for 20 years.

Lynsey Clark, now Deputy Manager, started at Barchester in July 2005 and has worked with residents and their relatives to ensure that their needs have been met over the years.